


lonely love

by Cats_Dont_Float



Category: Homestuck
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Loneliness, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_Dont_Float/pseuds/Cats_Dont_Float
Summary: The kids have been split up after a few years on Earth C, all of them working on their own projects and cities that they're building. But Dave's been missing Karkat, and in a moment of weakness he picks up the phone and leaves a voicemail for the troll.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 122





	lonely love

_“Hey, Karkat? Huh, I guess you’re not there so I’m gonna leave a voicemail. Uhhhh… hah, I’m shit at phone calls. Why did I think this was a good idea? Anyway, I was just wondering what you were up to. It’s been… six months…? Maybe? Who the fuck knows anymore. Fuck time, am I right? Haha, yeah. Anyway, Dirk and I have been doing a great job rebuilding a new Texas. Texas C? Is that what we’re calling it? I don’t know anything anymore, dude. How’s it hanging in… wait where the actual fuck are you again? Ugh, I’m too tired for this shit, can’t think straight. Anyway um, look I’m just gonna say it, I fucking miss you dude. I know we talk sometimes, but I miss just hanging with you and listening to you rant about shit. I even miss your terrible romcoms. I wrote a new rap, and I think you’ll hate it, so if you ever need anything to get mad about just ask me to send it to you, I guess. I don’t know when I’m going back to the troll kingdom, but… I wanna see you again soon so maybe tell me when you’re heading back there and we can meet. Ugh, I don’t know. You’re probably not even gonna listen to this message. ‘Dave Strider, don’t remember that name,’ you’ll say before deleting my name from your phone and going on with your life. ‘M joking. You wouldn’t do that… I don’t think. This was lame. Sorry, hanging up now. Shit. It’s three in the morning, isn’t it? Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you, uhgh, i won’t call again. I hope you’re doing okay. Bye.”_

☽☾

It’s sometime in the afternoon, and Dave’s laying on the sofa, half-asleep and watching the tv lazily through one open eye, shades pushed out of place slightly and digging uncomfortably into the bridge of his nose. He could easily raise a hand to put them back in their usual place or just take them off completely, but at the same time he doesn’t have enough energy to lift his hand from where it’s dangling off of the sofa. He’s spent the last week or so helping the construction of a new Texas for Earth C (a project him and Dirk have been assigned as a ‘bonding exercise’ according to Rose) and now he’s just completely exhausted. He could probably sleep here on the sofa for days if it wasn’t for his complete inability to actually fall asleep.

The harsh sound of the doorbell suddenly fills the empty apartment, and Dave sits upright, startled, heart racing. His shades slip down onto his lap, and he grabs them and fumbles to slide them back into place as he slowly drags himself out of the living room and towards the door. He’s expecting to see maybe a delivery person, or someone trying to sell him something. So he’s got reason enough for the fact that his jaw drops open in a way that is totally uncool.

There’s a troll standing there, short and stumpy with a head of messy black hair that almost completely conceals his horns. And in his sleep-deprived, half-awake state, it takes Dave a second to really recognise him. It’s…

“Karkat!” Dave breathes out, stumbling forwards and reaching out to wrap his arms tightly around the troll. Karkat lets out a small ‘oof’ as he ends up with his arms pinned to his sides, completely crushed in Dave’s tight embrace, but then laughs faintly and drops his chin down onto Dave’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Karkat says quietly, “I got your voicemail this morning, and I just… fuck dude you scared me. I thought - I thought… I don’t even fucking know but you sounded so sad and I just… I had to come and see you.”

Dave takes a step back, keeping his hands on Karkat’s shoulders to keep him close. “I… I forgot I sent that voicemail. Shit that was so uncool. You didn’t have to come. You know that, right? I was just… tired and lonely.”

Karkat shrugs faintly. “I wanted to come,” he replies, “I was worried, and you’re right, we haven’t seen each other in a while.” He looks away and clears his throat before adding, “And, uh, I missed you too.”

Dave grins weakly up at the familiar troll, and then, because he’s getting a little emotional and doesn’t want Karkat to know, he pulls him back into another hug. This time Karkat gets his own arms up and around Dave, squeezing him gently as Dave noses into his hair. It occurs to Dave that, huh, this is kinda gay, but he’s too busy clinging onto Karkat to care.

A movement in the hallway behind Karkat makes both of them jump, and they spring apart slightly. A second later, another human who lives in the apartment block comes round the corner and raises a hand in a wave to Dave. He waves back quickly and breathes out a sigh of relief when his neighbour doesn’t question the troll’s presence and just heads into their own apartment.

“Let’s get inside,” Dave suggests, pulling Karkat further into the apartment and then kicking the door shut behind the two of them. There’s a few beats of silence as the two stare at each other, Dave still not quite sure if Karkat’s really here or if exhaustion is making him hallucinate.

“Soooo,” Karkat says slowly, “Texas is cool.”

“Huh, yeah, I guess,” Dave replies, “I’m kinda missing the troll kingdom though. Living next door to Dirk here has been great but… I miss being near Rose and Kanaya and John. And you. Mostly you, to be honest.”

“I think that’s… shit what’s the word… homosexual,” Karkat says, and Dave lets out a snort of laughter.

“Nah, dude, these are strictly platonic feelings. I am missing you platonically.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, bulge licker,” Karkat mutters, the insult rolling easily and fondly off his tongue, before suddenly starting to wander off towards the other end of the apartment.

“And where the fuck are you going?” Dave calls after him.

“Looking around your apartment seeing as you weren’t polite enough to offer me a tour!” Karkat calls over his shoulder before disappearing into Dave’s bedroom.

Dave watches him go and smooths down his shirt slowly. “Chill, Strider,” he whispers to himself, “He’s just your friend, your pal, your Karkat. Wait, no, not _my_ Karkat. Just Karkat. Fuck. Eh, who gives a shit. Just don’t fuck this up.”

Giving up on trying to untangle his mess of feelings for Karkat, he strolls over into his own bedroom, not wanting to leave the troll to poke around his stuff for too long.

When he peers in through the bedroom door, he spots Karkat sat on the end of his bed, holding his godtier cape in his hands.

“The fuck are you doing?” Dave asks, taking a few steps over to sit on the bed by Karkat’s side.

The troll looks over at him and Dave swears the tips of Karkat’s ears are flushed faintly red. “You’re not wearing your godtier,” Karkat points out, nodding at the plain black shirt Dave’s wearing, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not wearing this shit.”

Dave shrugs. “Sometimes round here it’s nice to fit in and not always look like a god. THe crowds get a little too much sometimes.”

“Getting fed up of the paparazzi?” Karkat laughs with a raised eyebrow, “Thought you always wanted to be famous?”

“Yeah, I dunno man,” Dave huffs, flopping backwards to lay on his back on the bed. He tugs gently at the sleeve of Karkat’s sleeve until the troll lays down beside him, and then the two are silent for a long time. The seconds tick by in the back of Dave’s mind, and for once he decides not to count them.

“So,” Dave says after a while, bumping his knee against Karkat’s, “Don’t you have work you should be doing wherever you’re living right now?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Karkat shrugs faintly, “I needed to come see you.”

“Didn’t need to,” Dave protests.

“I did,” Karkat says, turning his head faintly to look over at Dave, “You’re my best friend, Dave, and we haven’t seen each other in ages. I’ve been missing you a lot, but I was too fucking scared to admit it. And then you called this morning and you sounded so fucking unlike you that it scared me. I just wanted to come see you again.”

Dave smiles faintly, once again feeling overwhelmed but a rush of emotions for Karkat. “Thanks, dude,” he smiles, “You’re… great. I’m so glad you’re here.”

The two slowly roll over to face each other at the same time and Dave laughs a little awkwardly as he finds his face just a little too close to Karkat’s.

“I missed this,” Karkat murmurs after a few minutes, “I missed us. It’s weird, but… sometimes I miss the years on the meteor when we could just spend all day everyday together and not have anything important to do.”

“Yeah,” Dave agrees, “I know, man. The last few years have been crazy as shit.” Karkat nods in agreement and scoots even closer to Dave, despite how close they already are.

Karkat’s face is so, so close to his, so close that Dave can see every dark freckle on his grey skin and how long his eyelashes really are. His cheeks are dusted a light shade of candy red that looks almost pink, and that combined with the way his crooked teeth poke out over his bottom lip when he smiles makes him look overly adorable. It would be so easy for Dave to lean in right then and kiss Karkat. His lips look really soft and… warm. Dave hasn’t felt the warmth of connection with anyone in… it’s been a while.

He panics then as he realises what he’s thinking, and suddenly sits up. Karkat looks confused as Dave moves away from him, and he too sits up slowly, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

“Did you, uh, wanna get some food and watch a movie?” Dave suggests, “Like old times.”

Karkat visibly relaxes in relief as he realises he hasn’t upset Dave, and nods with a small grin. “Yeah, I’d like that,” he smiles.

“Cool,” Dave grins, hopping up off of the bed and pretending to yawn so he can hide his face for a few seconds.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Karkat asks.

“Nope!” Dave declares, popping the ‘p’ as loudly and dramatically as he can, and then heads towards the bedroom door. “Come on dude, let’s get us some food and a shitty movie.”

☽☾

An hour later, the two find themselves sat together on Dave’s old, slightly broken sofa, the start of a weird comedy movie playing on the tv and containers of Chinese food sitting out on the coffee table. Karkat moves his empty plate from his lap and pushes it onto the table before leaning sideways heavily against Dave’s side. For a second Dave tenses up, but then relaxes at the comfort of the contact between the two of them, and smiles faintly as he leans his head sideways against Karkat’s head.

Karkat’s always been warm, warmer than most humans, and in times when it got too cold on the meteor he basically became Dave’s personal heater. But they haven’t seen each other properly in so long that Dave’s not used to being so close to him. It’s a comforting, familiar feeling, though, and after a few moments of sitting like that he shifts his entire body to sit closer to Karkat. Instantly Karkat rolls into Dave’s side, and Dave throws an arm around him, and the two cuddle up close together, falling back against the arm of the sofa together.

“Can we stay here forever?” Karkat murmurs, his face now pressed into Dave’s chest.

“Mmh,” Dave hums in agreement, starting to rub a hand up and down Karkat’s back slowly, “I’d like that.”

“Cool, then it’s a plan,” Karkat mumbles, “I’m never leaving this sofa.”

Dave laughs softly, moving his hand up to run it through Karkat’s hair gently. “Sure thing, dude, I’m not complaining,” he says quietly.

There’s a long silence then that’s only broken when a crackly purr starts to build in Karkat’s chest, and Dave closes his eyes slowly, smiling to himself at the familiar sound. He sinks back into a memory of a night like this on the meteor, where him and Karkat eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms and he woke up the next morning before Karkat to find a pair of warm, grey lips pressed against his neck and Karkat’s legs tangled with his. He never brought it up, assuming they’d both just moved in their sleep but he thinks about it occasionally, about what it could have been if either of them had said something.

Dave’s eyes flicker open, and he catches Karkat staring up at him, his eyes just a little wider than usual and filled with an emotion that Dave’s not quite seen before, and certainly can’t interpret. His cheeks flush slightly and he buries his head back in his chest before Dave can say anything. Almost impulsively, Dave lowers his head and presses a kiss to Karkat’s hair, ruffling his hair afterwards to play if off as more friendly. He instantly regrets it though, especially when Karkat’s head flies upwards again and he narrows his eyes faintly at him.

“What, Strider?” He asks weakly, sounding almost tired. Dave just shrugs wordlessly. Because he’s got no words to explain anything, really.

Karkat cocks his head to one side curiously, like a little cat or something, eyes filling with weird emotions again. Dave’s about to ask him what he’s thinking when he suddenly leans in impossibly close and then presses his lips tentatively to Dave’s.

Karkat’s movements are slow and wary as he starts to kiss Dave, and it takes Dave a long time to react, too distracted by the sudden warmth flooding his chest. Eventually he kisses back, and feels Karkat sink deeper into the kiss with a small sigh of relief that sends warm air fanning across Dave’s skin. He shudders slightly at the sensation, and his grip on Karkat’s hair tightens until the troll withdraws with a small gasp.

Dave fights the urge to pull Karkat back towards him and kiss him until neither of them can breathe, but allows him to sit up, and stares up at him with a lazy, blissed smile. Karkat looks down at him for a second, breathing heavily, pupils blown wide, and then slowly picks up a cushion and proceeds to scream into it as loudly as he possibly can. The cushion does not do a good job at muffling the sound.

“Woah, dude, what the fuck?” Dave’s quick to wrestle the cushion from Karkat’s hands as the troll’s scream dies out. Karkat looks up weakly, eyelashes fluttering slightly when Dave ups his face with one hand.

“I’m a fucking disaster,” Karkat mutters, “Too many feelings that I jut needed to let out.” He huffs and looks away before adding, “Shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

“Hey,” Dave murmurs, “Hey, look at me.” When Karkat hesitantly turns to look back at him, Dave cups his face again, sweeping his thumb gently across Karkat’s cheek. “I don’t know if you noticed, dude, but I enjoyed that, quite a lot actually. Kinda been wanting to do that for a while. Since the meteor, actually.”

“Really?” Karkat murmurs, turning his head to press his face further into Dave’s hand without really realising it.

“Of course,” Dave smiles, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this before, Kat, but you’re super fucking adorable.”

“I thought you weren’t gay,” Karkat retorts.

“And I thought you weren’t an asshole.”

“Then you are sorely mistaken.”

Dave lets out a loud laugh, throwing his head back slightly. It’s not even that funny, but he’s feeling a lot of emotions right now. And it feels good to laugh. Karkat even lets out a small huff of his own laughter, his hands on Dave’s shoulders now to try and steady him in his hysterics.

“Seriously, though, I really wouldn’t, uh, mind doing that again. If you were up for it,” Dave suggests weakly once he’s gained control of his laughter, taking a deep breath to try and regain his composure.

Karkat stares at him wordlessly for a few seconds. Then his grey tongue darts out of his mouth to wet his lips, before he dives back at Dave to kiss him again.

Dave’s a little more prepared for it this time, and falls back more comfortably against the arm of the sofa as Karkat holds himself up over Dave to kiss him. He works one hand into Karkat’s atrocious mess of hair again, sliding the other one up Karkat’s back under his sweater and sweeping it across the warmth, soft skin he finds there. He can feel all of Karkat’s slightly alien muscles shifting under his skin, and finds himself distracted for a second until Karkat’s mouth is suddenly at his neck. He lets out a noise he would definitely be ashamed of if he wasn’t so thoroughly dazed right now, and wraps his hand around one of Karkat’s horns to steady himself slightly. He gets a reaction he wasn’t quite expecting though, as Karkat seems to just completely melt, his kisses getting less intense as he purrs loudly and starts to nuzzle his face into the space where Dave’s neck meets his shoulders.

They’re both breathing heavily now, and Dave hugs Karkat to him as the two lay there for a while, letting a comfortable silence descend over them. After all those years of dreaming of this, of hoping maybe there could be something between him and Karkat, he’s finally got it. And he decides in that moment that he really doesn’t ever want to let Karkat go.

“Hey,” Dave whispers as he thinks that, “Did you wanna, uh, sleep over here tonight? Or do you have to get back to work?”

Karkat pushes his face further against Dave’s neck, lips just brushing his skin, and lets out a tired sigh. “Yeah, I wasn’t fucking lying when I said I was never leaving this sofa,” Karkat murmurs, “I’m staying.”

“I mean, I have a perfectly fine bed but alright,” Dave shrugs, pretending his entire face isn’t burning just because of this conversation. God, he’s so inexperienced relationship-wise that even this is overwhelming for him.

“I guess that wouldn’t be so terrible,” Karkat grumbles, before sitting up slightly and pushing the hair from his face. “Heh, you’ve gone all red.”

“Hate to break it to you dude, but you look exactly the fucking same.”

Karkat snarls faintly at him, and the sound is cut off as Dave grabs the collar of his sweater and crashes their lips together again.

☽☾

They don’t move from the sofa for another hour or so, wrapped tightly in each others arms. Furious making out slowly gives way to smaller gentler kisses exchanged silently between the two of them. Karkat purrs very quietly, the only sound between the two as they lay there, cuddled up together. Dave’s only realising now just how exhausted he is, and eventually, as he sees it’s gotten darker outside, Dave sighs and slowly wriggles from Karkat’s grasp.

“Where are you going?” Karkat grumbles, eyes half-lidded, blinking at him tiredly.

“Dunno about you dude but I need sleep,” Dave says, “You coming or…?”

“I’m coming,” Karkat confirms, slowly sitting upright and stretching out his arms with a small sigh.

Together the two of them stumble tiredly towards Dave’s room. Karkat hangs awkwardly by the door as Dave flops backwards onto the bed, and Dave just knocks up his shades and raises an eyebrow at him.

“Dude, stop being awkward,” Dave says, “We’ve literally fallen asleep in your pile together on the meteor before, just come cuddle with me.”

Karkat scoffs faintly. “You know, Strider, you’re much cuddlier than I expected you to be. Clingier, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Dave mumbles tiredly, pulling his shades away from his face and placing them neatly on the little bedside table, “Just come to bed, dude.”

Karkat blushes furiously, face flushing a bright candy red, and he awkwardly shuffles over and crawls onto the bed slowly. Dave laughs, throwing aside the cover to let Karkat crawl in under them with him, and then instantly rolls over to wrap his arms around Karkat’s waist and nuzzles his face into Karkat’s collarbone.

“Thank you,” Dave whispers, “For coming over today. I really needed this. I needed you. Still do.”

“Mmh,” Karkat hums softly, pressing a kiss to the top of Dave’s head, “It’s okay. I needed this too. I’m so fucking flushed for you.”

Dave feels himself blush, glad it isn’t visible with his face pressed against Karkat’s skin, knowing enough about troll language to understand what Karkat had just told him. “I love you too, man,” he whispers softly. Karkat shifts his head to clumsily kiss Dave softly.

“Get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning,” he says softly with a smile.

Dave lets out an affirmative hum and curls into a slightly more comfortable position before closing his eyes again and letting out a small yawn. Karkat watches him with a fond smile for a second before closing his own eyes and cuddling a little closer to him. For a while there’s nothing but the sound of both of them breathing softly and Karkat’s rumbling purrs, until both of them slowly drift off to sleep. And both of them fall asleep happy, knowing that for once they won’t be waking up alone.

**Author's Note:**

> ugh i have such bad writer's block for fanfics and my own original writing so this is just an old one i didn't think i was ever gonna post that i thought i'd just work on to try and get out of this block


End file.
